Keith Fuller: Some herbs like cool weather

You still have time to produce a crop of cool season herbs. A lesson to learn about gardening in North Florida is that we have two gardening seasons; a warm one and a cool one.

Herbs like cilantro/coriander, thyme, dill, borage, nasturtium, salad burnet and garlic grow best for us during the cooler months of the year. Once we hit 90 degree temperatures, these plants will decline or go dormant for the summer.

Because summer is a wet season with high humidity, thyme will struggle here during the summer, but grows quite well until then. While other parts of the county get as hot as we do, they do not always get as humid as we do and many plants do not respond to hot and humid conditions.

Most people want cilantro to add to their summertime salsa. Unfortunately, our summers and cilantro do not like each other, so learning to grow and dry herbs will allow you to have them year-round.

Dill is a preferred larval food for certain butterflies. Grow it while it is cool out and while butterflies are not laying eggs on it and you may get some to enjoy for yourself.

If you are not familiar with salad burnet you should give it a try. The young leaves of this herb impart a cucumber taste to salads, cheese spreads or use it as a garnish.

Once you learn what plants to grow during which of our growing seasons, you will have greater success with your garden.